How Cliché
by jessicanne
Summary: Boy meets girl. Girl befriends boy. Boy and girl fall in love. That's the cliché.  But that's not the case with best friends Derek Souza and Chloe Saunders. They've been through a lot together, and soon enough, their relationship will change forever. AH
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Darkest Powers, or any characters associated with the series.

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><p>9:19:57<p>

9:19:58

9:19:59

9:20:00

Derek looked from the digital clock on his nightstand, to his physics text book. The first-year college student may already know the formulas for this year's curriculum, but at the moment, he could not recall any.

He had always been advanced at mathematics and science, but lately he'd been having trouble paying attention, and actually getting work done. The "genius" of a student, as his roommate called him, was having trouble grasping the reason for his recent loss of focus.

Hell, he did know why. He knew the exact date it had started, and why it started.

His roommate and best friend.

The kind, blonde-haired, blue eyed pixie of a best friend he had; a polar opposite to his blunt, black haired, green eyed hulking figure.

Chloe Saunders. Best friends since childhood, along with his tag-along of a brother; the charismatic, half Asian Simon Bae.

They and always been close, Chloe positive and trying to get Derek to be more happy, and to smile more. Something he did do, but only around Chloe.

He never thought he would see her this way. He thought of her as a best friend, not as a potential love interest.

But a few days ago, 7 to be exact –which Derek always was- reality hit Derek in the face.

March the 5th, the day Derek's brother asked out Chloe.

He didn't realize it at first, but he was annoyed. He confronted his brother about this. His brother, who had a reputation as a womanizer (getting woman into bed a profession of his), was adamant to taking Chloe out on a nice date, at a restaurant Derek could never afford due to his large tuition fees, that may or may not end in sex.

Sex.

Sex with Chloe Saunders.

Derek's best friend.

Simon also ignore the fact that he may be ruining Chloe and Derek's friendship, as he told his brother, "What's the worst that can happen?"

Well, in Derek's mind, there were many worst case scenarios. Other than death, his least favourite was the one where Chloe and Simon fell in love and got married, and had blonde babies and Chloe never wanted to see Derek again, and never really wanted to be his friend and-

Derek took a deep breath. That was improbable, he would tell himself. You're a numbers guy; you should realize that the chance of that happening is low.

Chance. That was what had caused all of this. Chance was what caused Derek and Chloe to meet. So there was a _chance_ that this could happen. And that Chloe and Simon would fall in love.

But another scenario that was most probable, was Chloe falling in love with Simon. And after a few dates, and Simon's loss of interest beginning, he would break up with her, causing Chloe to go into a stage of depression and push Derek away, and then commit suicide-

Derek leant his head against the wall his bed was leant against. Thinking of this was not helping his situation and lack of focus. If anything it was making him more anxious for Chloe to come home.

Home. That's what this apartment was to him.

Derek had been 5 years of age when he had come to live with Simon and Kit Bae, who had later adopted him but allowed him to keep his "original" last name. They had welcomed him into their home, and given love and shelter.

He loved Kit, he really did, but that didn't stop the fact that he had always felt like an outcast. Growing up as a Caucasian giant, against a Korean heritage family was strange, as were the looks Derek would receive at family reunions. Kit had tried to make Derek feel at home, but that feeling of being an outsider was always there.

That feeling shrunk a tiny by when he met Chloe Saunders in the seventh grade. She had just moved to town, and was living in the house across the street from Kit's, and was beginning to go to the same school as Derek and Simon.

On her first day of school, she noticed Derek sitting alone and went to make friends with him. After many failed attempts, she had begun tearing up, and Derek attempted to comfort her. In between stutters, she told him that she had just moved to town, and most of the students weren't friendly, and she felt like an outsider. Derek had almost smiled when he heard that, and handed her a tissue, telling her they could be outsiders together.

After that, he learned she lived across the street from him, and her absent father was away for work, leaving her alone for the rest of the month. He told her to come by to his house, and have dinner with Kit, Simon and himself.

That's how it had begun.

They had been through so much: Chloe overcoming her stutter –which only came out when she was crying and extremely nervous-, Derek running away after a fight with Kit about his biological father looking for him, Derek explaining the abuse he had from his biological father, Chloe crying because her Aunt Lauren had died, Derek beginning his 'acne, grease' phase –which Chloe spent by his side-, Chloe having her first heartbreak from Owen Maloney –who Derek had to hesitate not to beat up for making Chloe cry-, the burning of Derek's baggy clothes –except a few sweatshirts which were kept in Chloe's closet for her to wear-.

And now, they were in their first year of college together. Sharing a two bedroom apartment on the edge of town, equal distance between both of their colleges –Chloe had wanted Derek to live near his college because he had more morning classes, which he flat out refused-

And everything had been nearly perfect. Derek was helping Chloe with a basic math class she was in, and Chloe was trying to break Derek from his shell, inviting him to parties, where he would be stalked by horny, actress wannabes who thought his muscles were "so hot." Derek did not enjoy those parties.

And now, this. Chloe being asked out by Derek's brother. She was out on that date right now, enjoying herself. She deserved it sure, but Derek couldn't help that feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want this date to happen. He wanted Chloe at home with him, finishing her script.

It was selfish, but Derek wasn't bothered by that. He was bothered by the fact that he had, in fact, developed feelings towards his best friend. What a cliché event.

Derek looked at the clock again.

9:32:10

_Screw this._ He thought, before grabbing his jacket and exiting the apartment.

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><p>Author's Note: Okay, so I hope you guys liked that, I should hopefully have the rest of it done within the month. <em>Hopefully.<em> Anyways, I have a favour to ask, if any of you would like to read some of my original writing? Send me a PM if you want a description. Thanks!

P.S: This looked so much longer in word, sorry about that!

~Jessicanne


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own the Darkest Powers series, or its characters. There's some harsh language in this chapter, so beware.

Read note at bottom! Enjoy, you guys!

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><p>Derek's original plan was to run around the track near the apartment, maybe go to gym to occupy his time. But after a quick peek at the busy local gym, the idea was abandoned.<p>

So Derek did the next best thing, he ran through the woods near the apartment. One of the perks of the apartment – below having a roommate like Chloe-.

There were many rumors about the Widowvale Woods, the largest being that it was inhabited by a pack a wolves. These wolves had supposedly attacked a freshman at the local high school, key word being _supposedly._

There were many things about wolves that intrigued Derek. After doing a project on them in the eleventh grade, you could say he had taken a liking to their way of life. They protected their young from all threats, despite the possible loss of their own life. They were brave, protecting what was theirs and keeping others off their territory. They do not hunt for shits and giggles, and most importantly: they do not attack humans unless provoked.

Now Derek wasn't say that the "victim" to the wolf victim deserved it- as he was unable to formulate an opinion unless given more information- but he could make an educated guess that the high school student had somehow threatened the pack of wolves, causing the attack.

That didn't mean Derek believe any of the rumours.

Another interesting fact about wolves: they mate for life. As in, they find one person and stay with them forever. And when a mate leaves their other half, it's not pretty. The depression, the anxiety …

Derek stopped for a minute, smacking his hand against his forehead. That's what it all lead back to.

The blonde, blue eyed pixie. The girl he now had feelings for.

It was like he couldn't escape her.

Derek continued running, focusing on the sound of his breathing and of the forest, ignoring all thoughts of his roommate.

This was a reason Derek never ran with headphones on. He enjoyed the sound of his breathing. Not in an egotistical "I love the way I sound when I'm gasping for air" way, but the way that it would encourage him. If he could breathe normally, there was obviously something wrong with the speed he was going.

These runs were also a time for Derek to go over his thoughts, collect his ideas and try to figure out what was going on. A time to make a plan.

Derek always had a plan.

Since moving in with Kit Bae, Derek had vowed to never be without a plan. He would not be dependent on other people. He would be self-sufficient. Strange thoughts for a child of only five years of age, but Derek had always been smart for his age.

However, the day he met Chloe, the plans changed. Now instead of just including Simon, Kit, and himself, he had a new person to include. The girl with the absent father that spent most of her time in the Bae house. A perk for Derek, as he now had someone to talk to that wasn't his brother.

He loved his brother, but they were _completely_ different. His brother was so carefree, and open minded. His brother was a charmer, never having to worry about the consequences of his actions as he could talk his way out of it.

There were many times when Derek wished for that ability. He had never been good with words, preferring numbers as they were more straight-forward. He wouldn't have to worry about the wording, if he was working with a math equation. So Derek stuck with what he knew numbers and facts.

This was another thing Chloe tried to change about him. Or no really change, but to bring him out of his world of numbers and facts. She was a movie fanatic, and dragged him to many movies which he pretended not to like, when really it was something he looked forward to.

And when he really couldn't stand a movie, _Titanic_ for example, he would tell her. He would be adamant that she never make him watch that movie ever again. When news came out that the movie would be rereleased in 3D, Chloe jumped around the apartment, yelling that Derek would just _have_ to go with her. That this was about the experience, not about the content.

The movie was still in theatres, and Derek knew that Simon had taken Chloe to see it on their date tonight. After the expensive French dinner he could afford because of his portraits.

Derek shook his head, a measly attempt at ridding the thoughts of Chloe and Simon on their date. Simon leaning over and playing with her hair, Chloe leaning against Simon in the theatre.

_Goddammit, stop thinking of it, you big lug._

Derek bent his head as he gained speed in his run. He needed this. He needed the adrenaline. He needed to clear his head of all of these thoughts. Maybe if he ran fast enough he could change the rotation of the Earth and-

Derek studied physics, and he was thinking of something that was impossible.

He was truly losing it.

The rain had started halfway during his muse about Chloe, but Derek didn't care at this point. He wasn't focused on his life and health at the moment; he was focused on removing all of the frustration from his system. So he ran.

When he had finally removed all of the need to punch something he was panting, regretting his choice not to bring a water bottle. He could make it. He would be fine.

Walking slowly back to the apartment, Derek realized that he had been running for a significant amount of time. It was even darker than when he left and now it was at least past 11.

Hopefully when he walked into the apartment, Chloe was asleep, and not with Simon doing the dirty.

Hopefully.

After taking the stairs to the eighth floor apartment, as a way to cool down yet again, Derek came to a stop in his spot down the hall from the apartment.

There, leant against the wall across the apartment, was Chloe Saunders, her head tucked down, as if sleeping.

Derek wondered for a moment why she was outside the apartment before realizing that she had probably forgotten her key. Once again.

Slowly approaching the apartment, as to not wake his sleeping roommate, Derek dropped his keys, and with a quiet curse, he bent to pick them up.

"Well you dropping your keys is kind of like you wearing a bell, so I guess this could work." Chloe whispered, lifting her head, keeping her eyes covered by her bangs, but Derek could still see what was wrong. Chloe had been crying.

Instead of opening the door to the apartment, Derek slid down the door and sat across from Chloe, studying her. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes, "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Chloe looked into his eyes for a minute, and Derek could see the puffiness sounding her eyes, and the red blood vessels going through her eye whites.

Chloe gave a weak smile, "I fucked up, Dere, and I can't even explain how bad it was." She looked down again, fresh tears falling. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

Now, Derek wanted to pull her into his arms, and let her cry it out, but there were two problems with that: he was sweating, and he knew not to baby Chloe.

Derek stood up, and reached a hand down to Chloe, "Come on," he whispered, "let's get you inside, you're probably tired."

Chloe stood up on her own, "Aren't you wondering what happened?"

"You'll tell me when you can," he responded, unlocking the door, "now come on, you need some sleep."

"Stop acting like you know me, Derek." Chloe said coldly.

Derek had the door open and looked at Chloe, "Oh how dare I, you're best friend, assume I know you. It's not like I grew up with you or anything." He had meant it lightly, but Chloe didn't see it that way.

"Stop this, Derek. Stop all of this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, aren't you angry?" Chloe asked, coming to stand closer to Derek, her hands on her hips, "Aren't you annoyed that I would go that far, and date your brother?"

Derek looked at her blankly. "If that's what you want." He lied.

"So you're okay if I put our friendship at risk just because of a guy? You're okay me forgetting about our relationship? Does it mean that little to you?"

Derek was avoiding getting angry at Chloe, "It doesn't, but if you want to date my brother, go ahead."

"Do I mean that little to you, Derek? Does our friendship mean nothing to you?" She shouted.

"What the fuck you do you want me to say, Chloe? That I'm fine with my brother asking you out? No, I'm not. It pisses me off that he would do that. But you know what? If he fucking likes you, and you fucking like him, go live your lives together. I won't stand in your way." He growled back.

Chloe threw her hands up in the air, "Are you even going to fight for our friendship? Are you really okay with me completely ditching you for your brother? Are you fine with being left alone in the fucking world just because I like your brother?"

Chloe wasn't one to swear much, so Derek knew that she was worked up about this.

"Look, Chloe, if you want to date my brother go ahead. I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Derek couldn't believe that's what she was doing.

Chloe huffed, before walking into the apartment. As Derek walked in, Chloe stared at him, her eyes watering. "Are you not even going to fight for me? Do I not matter anymore?" she whispered.

For a minute, Derek forgot about his current sweaty state, and walked to Chloe, pulling her into his arms. "You _do_ matter, that's why you should go after Simon if that's what you want." He said into her hair.

Chloe muttered something into Derek's jacket, clutching tighter. "I can't hear you, Lowey."

Chloe looked up at him, "I don't want to go on a date with Simon ever again."

Derek's jaw clenched, "Chloe, what happened?" he growled out, tightening his arms around her.

"I'm not sure," she whispered, "he was angry because I kept freezing up when he would touch me. It just, it felt so _wrong._"

Derek growled, sounding more like an animal than a human, he wanted to rip his brother's head off. He wanted to hurt him so badly for touching Chloe. His Chloe.

He froze when he felt a soft hand on his cheek. He looked down at the petite blonde, a frown on his face.

"Now you see," Chloe whispered. "This feels different from when Simon would even put his hand in mine. I don't feel scared."

Derek was mesmerised by Chloe's actions, "It feels familiar." she whispered, moving her hand to be against the back of his head, something that was difficult for her, despite the heels she was in. As Derek's face neared her, she kept staring at him, "I wonder what would happen if-" she whispered, the rest being lost as she pressed her lips against his.

Derek tightened his arms around her, loving the liquid fire that seemed to be running through his blood. He was kissing her. He was kissing Chloe Saunders. He was kissing his best friend.

And it felt right.

And amazing.

And perfect.

Chloe wrapped both of her arms around his neck, trying to bring him close, so Derek complied, and strained himself, trying to get more of the feel of her lips against his.

He didn't want this feeling to end. He wanted to stay like this forever.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

As Chloe pulled away, she seemed shocked at herself, detangling herself from him, and taking a step back.

"S-shit. S-s-sorry, D-Derek, I-I didn't m-mean for that to h-happen." She stuttered, before muttering other things to herself. The words 'stupid Chloe' among them. She kept muttering things before Derek took a step closer and pulled her into him arms again, causing her to go silent.

"Stop talking," he said, before pressing his lips against hers again.

When he had finished proving to her, that he had indeed wanted that to happen, he pulled away, frowning at the flustered blonde.

"Now let's get something straight, Chloe. No matter what, I _will_ fight for you. Our friendship means a lot to me. But what just happened can be forgotten if you would like. And if you didn't like it, I won't do it anymore. If you want we can go back to normal, and forget that just happened."

Chloe who had been looking at her feet, rose her head to meet her eyes with Derek's, tears threatening to fall and yet, was smirking at Derek, taking a step closer. "And what if I…" she began, tapping a finger to her chin, eyes still watering, "what if I want to remember that? And want re-enact it many times?"

Derek looked down at Chloe, slightly amazed by what she was saying, "Then uh-" he cut himself off, knowing his struggle for words would not help him. "Then you should clear it with Simon."

Chloe huffed, "Did you _not_ comprehend what I had told you before? That the date with Simon was a bust, and I'm pretty sure I am not his favourite person at the moment."

Derek ducked his head, which didn't help much considering it made him look at Chloe for a fraction of a second, "Derek." She whispered, when he didn't respond, Chloe let out a sigh of frustration. "_Derek." _She said sternly.

Derek looked at Chloe for a moment, before turning on his heel and began briskly walking to the apartment door.

"Derek!" Chloe shouted. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Derek couldn't focus. He needed out. He wasn't ready for this. He didn't want it. He didn't know why he had kissed her again in the first place. Or why he kept talking to her after it. He had ruined it. He had ruined everything.

He was out of the door now, but he didn't register it. All that he was thinking of was getting _out._ It was like when he was a child, he would run away from Kit and Simon many times, the only reason was the emotion.

He had thought it stopped when Chloe became his friend. And it did, until now.

The real emotion. Speaking of how he felt was always a problem. And it was even bigger now.

He couldn't describe how Chloe made him feel.

He would feel happy with her, and like he was half empty without her. But there were times she was around and all he felt was confusion.

He would think about why she was friends with him. After all of these years that was still what made him wonder. What a girl like her was doing with a guy like him.

Another cliché.

But in this case it was true.

Derek may have been walking for five minutes or five days, something he was probably capable of. It didn't matter in his mind, just as long as he was gone.

This was the kind of person he was. The one that kept everything he thought inside, to avoid any problems.

His first issue was kissing Chloe. Both times. Then telling her that he would fight for her. Then running off.

Actually this whole day was a mistake. He should have faked a sickness and made Chloe stay home with him and not go her date with Simon.

_What had she been talking about when she said 'Simon was angry'?_

_Why had she kissed me?_

_Why was she so mad in the beginning?_

_How does she feel about me?_

Derek wanted answers, and knew that by running away, he was decreasing his chances of ever getting any.

_Shit. You fucked up again, Souza._

And with that, Derek turned around in the middle of the forest and began sprinting back to the apartment.

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><p>Kayso, I lied. Three part one shot. If that makes sense. It's not my fault, I swear. I wanted to get into Derek's character in depth. And give you guys a good idea of the confusion in his mind during these events.<p>

Anyways, I hope you guys liked this part, and I should have the last part (watch me make this even longer) up before the end of the month? Yeah maybe.

Reviews?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: These characters are not my own. I do not own The Darkest Powers Series.**

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><p>As Derek ran towards the apartment, he thought of his plan of action. He knew that without one he would be walking blindly into another argument with Chloe.<p>

_Well, love _is_ blind._

Derek almost chuckled at that. It seemed that this night had been full of clichés. Or well, what was left of the night. There was probably only fifteen minutes before midnight.

Knowing the time had fueled Derek's energy. He needed to straighten this out. He needed answers. Facts.

Many people compare love to a math equation. Confusing and difficult.

Problem with that was that Derek was excellent at math. Derek _loved_ math, actually. And comparing love to something he loved… just didn't make sense.

In his opinion, love was like English. Not straight forward. A million different interpretations. And something Derek was terrible at.

He wasn't good at expressing himself. He would slip into silence and silently overanalyze his feelings until they were nothing.

He was ready to try to change that. He was ready to begin to express how he felt. He was ready to accept his feelings for Chloe. He would yell it in public if it would help her understand.

He was pepped up. The run from the forest to the apartment giving him lots of adrenaline. On the outside he looked serious, his hair sticking to his forehead. On the inside he felt like a fighter getting ready to go into the ring. He could do this. He _would_ do this.

As he neared the elevator and saw that there were certain females that were incapable of taking a damn hint there, he turned on his heel and ran to the staircase.

He could do this. He was like Rocky. He could do this. _Just tell her how you feel. You can do this. _He repeated running up the stairs.

It was when he was about to open the door to the apartment that he heard Chloe's voice, obviously speaking to someone.

"-he just ran out. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now. I screwed up, Tori. I really screwed up." She sounded so saddened by him walking out. Or running out as she had put it. But why would she care? _Wait… what if…_

"I don't know if I should. I'm packing a bag right now. I think I'm going to stay at a classmate's apartment for the next few days. Give myself some time to figure out my next move."

_Fuck. No. No. Don't do that. Fuck. _Derek tried to move toward the door, but paused for a moment as he began hearing Chloe let out a loud whimper.

"He was right to run out, Tori! You didn't see how pissed off Simon was, Derek should be defending his brother, and not making out with the girl that broke his poor brother's heart." She blurted out.

The fact that Derek hadn't given a sympathetic thought to his brother disproved Chloe's theory. If anything, Derek should have left to beat the shit out of his brother. For one reason, and one reason only.

Pressuring, hurting, and causing emotional damage to Chloe Saunders.

The girl Derek had kissed just a while ago.

The girl Derek had ran out on right after that.

Other than Simon, Derek should hit himself in the head. Hard. And He almost did.

Instead of hitting himself in the head, however, he punched the wall next to the apartment door. When he did that, the voice from inside the apartment stopped, and he was pretty sure the person inside the apartment's breathing had stopped as well. All of this made him forget about the stabbing pains in his hand.

_Well fuck. I guess now I have to go in._

"I'll call you back, okay? I think he's back." Chloe whispered into the phone as Derek walked into the apartment.

It was then that he saw just how much he had been affecting the small blonde.

Unlike usual, her happy eyes were red and puffy, watering slightly. Her nose was red and her breathing was slightly off, proving that she wasn't yet over what had just happened.

_I'm so sorry, Chloe._

She stared at him. Her stance different from usual. She wasn't the defiant Chloe he had grown used to. No, this was the girl he had created. He had _caused_ this. He had caused her to turn so _defeated._ It was like she had given up on him completely. On everything.

_I'm so utterly sorry, Chloe. Please. Please, forgive me._

But that's not what he said; because despite what he was thinking less than 20 minutes ago, he didn't want to cause her more pain. He didn't want to hurt her, and then just make her forgive him.

"Hi." He said softly, trying not to cause her more sadness.

"Hi." She responded, her voice quieter than usual. Derek felt himself sag at the sound of her voice. He had missed her. He was so regretful to what he had done. To what he had caused. He was so apologetic.

"You don't have to leave," he whispered, taking a step closer to her, "I'll go. You can stay in the apartment."

Chloe looked down, "No," she squeaked, "no, it's fine, I don't want to cause you any problems…" she trailed off, and took a few steps towards him, causing Derek's heart to pick up speed.

Chloe picked up Derek's right hand, which had been clenched into a fist since he had punched the wall. "Dammit, Derek," she breathed, "you're bleeding."

"huh?" Derek asked dazed. Why was she worried about him? After what he had just put her through, she was _worried_ about him?

Chloe kept her head down, "You're so stupid sometimes, Derek."

"Stop worrying about me, Chloe." Derek hissed, wrenching his hand away from her.

Chloe took a step away from him, and glared up at him, her eyes blazing. "For fuck's sake. Not this again, Derek. It's starting to get really fucking tiresome."

Like he had said again, Chloe only cursed when she was really pissed off.

_Good, maybe then she'll leave. It's for the best._

"What the fuck do you mean 'not this again'? It's you're fucking fault, you should stop fucking worrying about everyone and focus on yourself." He snapped back.

Chloe threw her hands up. "For fuck's sake, Derek. Do you not understand anything that isn't related to academics?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out for yourself, brainiac. Until you do, I'm staying at Tori's." Chloe said, before picking up her gym bag and beginning to walk out of the apartment.

_Am I just going to let her walk out?_

_Never._

Derek stepped forward just as Chloe's hand touched the doorknob. Derek took a deep breath, and wrapped an arm around her wrist, tugging her away from the door.

Keeping his head down, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Chloe." He took another breath, "I never knew how to explain any of this to you. I always thought none of it would matter to you. Maybe I just didn't want to see what would make me the most happy."

Derek heard Chloe swallow loudly, and began to feel her pulse quicken in her wrist; he took that as a sign to let it go, muttering an apology before continuing on his speech. "Then if I did get a sense that it was all reciprocated, I ignored it, thinking it was just the way you are. And you are like that; a caring and wonderful person. Any guy would be lucky to have you. Even Simon, really.

"Which brings me to another problem. Simon's recurring feelings for you and me having to accept that. Especially when we were younger. I was always worried about your happiness and kept pushing you guys together," Derek chuckled a bit, "Do you remember the time when I bailed on you two at the movies? It was originally Simon's idea, and I went along with it because I thought it would make you happy." He let out another chuckle, "And then you called me when you got home, and started complaining about how Simon talked all the way through the movie. And how you hated me for ditching you guys. You didn't talk to me for around a week-"

"Derek. Get to the point."

Derek let out another nervous chuckle. "Never thought anyone would say that to me. What I'm really trying to say, Chloe, is that as much as I say I do, I don't want you to be happy. I don't want anyone else to have the pleasure of seeing that twinkle in your eyes when you get excited about a new movie release. I don't want anyone to know that you sometimes snort when you laugh. I want you to be happy, as long as it isn't with anybody else." Derek paused for a second, becoming even more nervous than he already was. "And I know I sound the same as I did an hour ago. And I know you're going to get tired of this if you haven't already. And I know I'm risking our friendship. Which is why I need to know if it's worth risking." After one more deep breath, Derek took the plunge.

"Chloe, I really like you. And I know it sounds like a middle school crush, but I _know _it's not. And it may not be love. But it will be. One day. If you let me."

Derek felt weird after saying that. The words for finally out there. He had told her. He had spilled his heart out for his best friend and now there was a chance that it could be crushed. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if all he did was ruin their friendship? What if-

"Derek." Chloe whispered. "Derek, look at me."

He didn't want to see her. He didn't want to have the impression on her faced burned into his memory as she rejected him. Fuck, how fast could he run away?

No. Not run away. He couldn't.

He looked up a bit, meeting Chloe's eyes.

Surprise hit him. There was a twinkle. The twinkle he had seen so many times when she would see something she was passionate about.

"Derek," she said reaching her hand up to touch his cheek, "you really are stupid some times."

He was confused again. Girls were so complicated.

"Derek, honey, what does it mean when a girl kisses a boy?" she asked, smiling a bit. "It means she has feelings for him."

Well.

But. Love _is_ blind. So it's not completely his fault for not knowing. Love.

Love.

He wouldn't tell her yet. Not yet.

Chloe leaned up again, and kissed Derek.

He felt good then.

Like everything was the way it should be.

Chloe was his.

That was what mattered.

After pulling away, Chloe grabbed Derek's hand, and tugged him into the washroom. "We should really clean this up before it gets infected."

Derek smiled and followed her.

12:52:04

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><p>Well. That took longer than expected. I think I was trying to hold on to it. I don't think the ending was as good as it could have been. And to justify Derek's oocness he was incredibly nervous, which also explains his short thoughts. I hope you guys enjoyed all of this, and I have no idea when the next time I'll be back will be.<p>

Hope you liked it !


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